This Blog is created to stress the importance of Peace as an environmental directive. “I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it’s hell.” – Harry Truman
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Thursday, October 15, 2015

Throughout Libya, the security vacuum left by Qaddafi’s departure, the continued presence of pro-Qaddafi supporters, the prevalence of and easy access to weapons, the inability of the interim government to reestablish a strong security apparatus, and the resulting weakness of those security forces that remained led to a volatile situation in which militias previously united in opposition to Qaddafi were now jockeying for position in the new Libya...

This is where I left off when the storm came though. I'll pick it up here tomorrow afternoon. I'll try to finish it then. This is about half completed. No, I hadn't read this before I put the words on the blog. This is my honest reaction to the document. I think the panel did a great job. A person able to assess 'the essence' of what is wrong when it doesn't lie along the definition of legal is unique. The panel had a gift for understanding people. Just think about it a minute. There were five, six? And their life experience allowed them to focus on very abstract parts of how the State Department works. They grasped where the department had missing pieces. It is a gift the USA has people with these abilities to solve our problems. I can't thank the panel enough.

"...When you are having family issues, I hope you can take care of it, because when you call police in this day and time you may be calling them to do something to you or the family member that you feel is out of your hands...."

A
witness on the scene shot a cellphone video showing one officer
pointing a shotgun or a rifle at the man in the wheelchair, screaming at
him “drop the gun” and “hands up.”

The man in the wheelchair
appears to be bleeding. Three more officers, with handguns drawn, appear
on the scene and scream at him to drop the gun.The man fidgets,
moving his legs with his hands, rubbing his knees with both hands,
trying to raise himself out of the wheelchair....

It appears Jeremy McDole was confused. He was trying to move his legs. He was helpless and it appeared to me he was confused.

There is another story to this. The mother was arrested. The community is setting their own governance.

September 30, 2015

The mother of a man (click here) in a wheelchair who was killed by police officers
last week was arrested and charged with assault and threatening a woman
she believed placed a 911 call saying a man had shot himself.

Phyllis
McDole, 48, of Wilmington, surrendered to city police Monday and was
released on $10,000 bail. She was charged with second-degree burglary,
terroristic threatening, third-degree assault and third-degree
conspiracy.

Police say McDole, accompanied by five unidentified
people, three women and two men, went to the woman’s home on Lancaster
Avenue Friday between 7:30 and 8 p.m., punching and threatening the
woman after she answered the front door....

Koch states they have been misrepresented in the media.He states, "The American people have to understand what is fair and what makes their lives better." Of course a Koch would know.

Classical liberal is someone who wants a society that maximizes peace, civility and opportunity for everyone. Charles Koch states he is a classical liberal. Amazing. Classic liberals reach back in time to define themselves when oil sold for 39 cents a gallon and no one gave a damn about global warming. I think Classic Liberal goes back before the Vietnam War, too.

Government is suppose to have a vision of what kind of society will make people's lives better. The politicians in power are capable because they are so much smarter than everyone else, "fatal conceit" or the "tyranny of experts."

I am curious. Does he believe in democracy? Because there are elections and as a rule the American people choose a QUALIFIED candidate. What IQ does he think qualifies for President? I think we can start there.

Charles Koch hates it that he doesn't run the country. That is why his money goes into purchasing politicians. His answer to redemption is so much better. How can a man be sentenced to hell if he spends his fortune in instilling his values throughout the land?

Oh, my, my there is a financial cliff coming. Did anyone know that? Let's see. Koch. Oh, yeah fossil fuels, right? The financial cliff is coming faster under Democrats than Republicans. Interesting. Democrats wants to roll back oil subsidies and is investing in solar and wind.

$300 million on the elections of 2016. I guess Charles and his brother decided to trim their sales a bit. $300 million rather than $900 million. This is a private company, so it is difficult to know if the company is tanking.

Not every donor is willing to have their names out because of the death threats. Good excuse if it is real. I doubt every donor get death threats. I never have.

Koch is 79 years old. He feels a passion for what we are trying to do. It is his nature to work until death does he part. The road to happiness is to fully develop one's abilities and then practice is forever.

This is the last words of Charles Koch father when he left them his money. "If you choose to let this money destroy you...then my decision to give it to you was a mistake...." I think the father was right.

Alert! Every politician that wants to talk about the USA inappropriately staying in Afghanistan, in the next breath talk about the poor veterans coming home without adequate medical care.

And don't forget, we as Americans can now witness the dead in flag draped coffins now.

I think President Obama has only been at Dover once. Maybe his memory is fading. He and the next President should make it their business to be in Dover EVERY TIME a C-10 lands with America's dead.

By Elisa Bumiller

Dec. 7, 2009

Washington - In
a reversal of an 18-year-old military policy that critics said was
hiding the ultimate cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the news
media will now be allowed to photograph the flag-draped coffins of
America's war dead as their bodies are returned to the United States,
but only if the families of the dead agree.

The
decision, which Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Thursday,
lifts a 1991 blanket ban on such photographs put in place under
President George Bush. It chiefly affects coffins arriving from Iraq and
Afghanistan that go through Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

"I
think that foremost in our thinking about issues like this should be
the families and giving them choices," Gates said at a news conference
at the Pentagon.

Renewed
as recently as a year ago by the administration of President George W.
Bush, the ban has long been a source of intense debate....

On April 5, 2011, then-Special Envoy to the Libyan Transitional National

Council (TNC) Chris Stevens arrived via a Greek cargo ship at the rebel-held city of Benghazi to re-establish a U.S. presence in Libya. The State Department had been absent from Libya since the Embassy in Tripoli suspended operations and evacuated its American personnel on February 25, 2011, amidst an escalating campaign by Muammar Qaddafi to suppress violently a popular uprising against his rule.

Benghazi, the largest city and historical power center in eastern Libya, was the launching point for the uprising against Qaddafi and a long time nexus of anti-regime activism. It also served as the rebel-led Transitional National Council’s base of operations. Eastern Libya (Cyrenaica) had long felt neglected and oppressed by Qaddafi, and there had been historic tensions between it and the rest of the country. Throughout Qaddafi’s decades-long rule, eastern Libya consistently lagged behind Tripoli in terms of infrastructure and standard of living even as it was responsible for the vast majority of Libya’s oil production.Stevens’ presence in the city was seen as a significant sign of U.S. support for the TNC anda recognition of the resurgence of eastern Libya’s political influence.

By every measure the late Ambassador Stevens was embraced by the people and looking forward to the future they would build. Unfortunately, the people of eastern Libya were also very afraid of anything that could become stronger than they. At one time in the 1969 a coup leader by the name Gaddafi promised a better life for the people of Libya. At the time Gaddafi was hunted down and his life ended, the people old enough to remember the coup remembered his promises so long ago. It only made sense the people would not trust a central authority again that could not be removed easily from power.

Benghazi was the seat of the Senussi monarchy until 1954, the site of a U.S. consulate, which was overrun by a mob and burned in 1967, and the place where Qaddafi began his 1969 revolution against the monarchy. Qaddafi’s subsequent combination of oppression and neglect enhanced the city’s sense of marginalization, and its after-effects were felt more widely in the eastern region where a Salafist jihadist movement took root. Jihadis from Benghazi engaged in Afghanistan against the Soviets and took up arms against U.S. forces in the post-2003 Iraq insurgency. Many of them reemerged in 2011 as leaders of anti-Qaddafi militias in eastern Libya.

Stevens initially operated from the Tibesti Hotel in downtown Benghazi. He was accompanied by a security contingent of 10 Diplomatic Security agents whose primary responsibilities were to provide personal protective services. Stevens’ mission was to serve as the liaison with the TNC in preparation for a post-Qaddafi democratic government in Libya. By all accounts, he was extremely effective, earned the admiration of countless numbers of Libyans, and personified the U.S. government commitment to a free and democratic Libya.

Benghazi, however, was still very much a conflict zone. On June 1, 2011, a car bomb exploded outside the Tibesti Hotel, and shortly thereafter a credible threat against the Special Envoy mission prompted Stevens to move to the Annex. On June 21, 2011, he and his security contingent moved to what would become the Special Mission Benghazi compound (SMC). By the end of August 2011, the walled compound consisted of three sections (Villas A, B, and C) on 13 acres. (Use of Villa A was discontinued in January 2012, when the SMC footprint was consolidated into the Villas B and C compounds, some eight-acres total.)

The USA decided who was leadership in Libya. Why would that go over well. Following that arrangement, the militias formed in Tripoli and if they weren't hunting for Gaddafi, they were assassinating the new government. That went on for awhile even after Gaddafi was assassinated. It really was quite obvious the people of Libya saw their leadership differently than DC did.

On July 15, 2011, the United States officially recognized the TNC as Libya’s legitimate governing authority although Qaddafi and his forces still retained control over significant portions of the country, including Tripoli. The TNC continued attacking the remaining Qaddafi strongholds, and Tripoli fell earlier than expected at the end of August. The TNC immediately began moving the government from Benghazi to Tripoli. By early September, 21 members of State Department Mobile Security Deployment teams were in Tripoli with the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) in preparation for the resumption of operations of the U.S. Embassy, which Ambassador Gene Cretz officially re-opened on September 22, 2011. From September 2011 onwards, Embassy Tripoli was open with a skeleton staff built on temporary duty (TDY) assignments, to include the DCM and Regional Security Officer (RSO). (The fall of Tripoli took place shortly after Embassy Tripoli lost its assigned staff and bureaucratically ceased to exist, pursuant to Department regulations regarding the length of time a post can remainopen in evacuation status.)

The fall of Tripoli was the reason the late Ambassador Stevens was in a hotel for his office.

Although the TNC declared that Tripoli would continue to be the capital of a post-Qaddafi Libya, many of the influential players in the TNC remained based in Benghazi. Stevens continued as Special Envoy to the TNC in Benghazi until he departed Libya on November 17, 2011, after which the Special Envoy position was not filled. Stevens was replaced by an experienced Civil Service employee who served for 73 days in what came to be called the “principal officer” position in Benghazi. After November 2011, the principal officer slot became a TDY (temporary duty officer) assignment for officers with varying levels of experience who served in Benghazi anywhere from 10 days to over two months, usually without transiting Tripoli. In December 2011, the Under Secretary for Management approved a one-year continuation of the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, which was never a consulate and never formally notified to the Libyan government. Stevens arrived in Tripoli on May 26, 2012 to replace Cretz as Ambassador.

16. A panel of Senior Special Agents and Supervisory Special Agents should revisit DS high-threat training with respect to active internal defense and fire survival as well as Chief of Mission protective detail training.

17. The Diplomatic Security Training Center and Foreign Service Institute should collaborate in designing joint courses that integrate high threat training and risk management decision processes for senior and mid-level DS agents and Foreign Service Officers and better prepare them for leadership positions in high risk, high threat posts.They should consult throughout the U.S. government for best practices and lessons learned. Foreign Affairs Counter Threat training should be mandatory for high risk, high threat posts, whether an individual is assigned permanently or in longer-term temporary duty status.

19. There have been technological advancements in non-lethal deterrents, and the State Department should ensure it rapidly and routinely identifies and procures additional options for non-lethal deterrents in high risk, high threat posts and trains personnel on their use.

21. Post-2001, intelligence collection has expanded exponentially, but the Benghazi attacks are a stark reminder that we cannot over-rely on the certainty or even likelihood of warning intelligence. Careful attention should be given to factors showing a deteriorating threat situation in general as a basis for improving security posture. Key trends must be quickly identified and used to sharpen risk calculations.

“Inman buildings” are diplomatic facilities that meet the mandatory minimum physical security standards established after the 1985 Inman Report about the 1983 Embassy and Marine barracks bombings in Lebanon. “SECCA” refers to the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act of 1999, passed by Congress after the 1998 Nairobi and Dar es Salaam Embassy bombings. SECCA mandated setback and other standards for newly acquired diplomatic facilities.

Below a chain of command of command for the new security paradigm of the US State Department.

22. The DS Office of Intelligence and Threat Analysis should report directly to the DS Assistant Secretary and directly supply threat analysis to all DS components, regional Assistant Secretaries and Chiefs of Mission in order to get key security-related threat information into the right hands more rapidly.

PERSONNEL ACCOUNTABILITY

23.The Board recognizes that poor performance does not ordinarily constitute a breach of duty that would serve as a basis for disciplinary action but is instead addressed through the performance management system. However, the Board is of the view that findings of unsatisfactory leadership performance by senior officials in relation to the security incident under review should be a potential basis for discipline recommendations by future ARBs, and would recommend a revision of Department regulations or amendment to the relevant statute to this end.

The disciplinary regulations are going to be stepped up because there is basically no excuse with the implementation of the new standards for the State Department.

24. The Board was humbled by the courage and integrity shown by those on the ground in Benghazi and Tripoli, in particular the DS agents and Annex team who defended their colleagues; the Tripoli response team which mobilized without hesitation; those in Benghazi and Tripoli who cared for the wounded; and the many U.S. government employees who served in Benghazi under difficult conditions in the months leading up to the September 11-12 attacks. We trust that the Department and relevant agencies will take the opportunity to recognize their exceptional valor and performance,which epitomized the highest ideals of government service.

ISAF was one of the largest coalitions in history and is NATO’s most challenging mission to date. At its height, the force was more than 130,000 strong, with troops from 51 NATO and partner nations.

NATO took the lead (click here) of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan on 11 August 2003. Mandated by the United Nations, ISAF’s primary objective was to enable the Afghan government to provide effective security across the country and develop new Afghan security forces to ensure Afghanistan would never again become a safe haven for terrorists. From 2011, responsibility for security was gradually transitioned to Afghan forces, which took the lead for security operations across the country by summer 2013. The transition process was completed and Afghan forces assumed full security responsibility at the end of 2014, when the ISAF mission was completed. A new, smaller non-combat mission (“Resolute Support”) was launched on 1 January 2015 to provide further training, advice and assistance to the Afghan security forces and institutions...

The reason the USA is still in Afghanistan is because of Iran. There is no other reason. The troops need to come home. The reason there are stupid accidents where people die in hospitals and due to tangling helicopters in wire is because there is NO PLACE for the USA military in Afghanistan.

Stop the funding for Afghanistan. It is a waste of money and there will be more USA deaths. This PLAN is outrageous. It is abusive of the American people.

If I were Afghan leadership I'd ask for a military force that didn't cause deaths of the Afghan soldiers and completely free of cost, too.

The United Nations needs to go forward with investigation and prosecution of the deaths at the Doctors Without Borders' hospital.

Amazing.Now, FOX is saying at the time Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State private emails were allowed, HOWEVER, no private server was allowed. So, now the Benghazi investigation has morphed into a private news agency campaign against the private email server.

At least FOX is on the record now that private emails at the time Secretary Clinton was in office was allowed.Why would a private server be disallowed if private emails were allowed? Hillary Clinton would have been okay if the emails were on Yahoo or Gmail or perhaps social media like "My Space."The attack on Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was orchestrated by FOX and it's political agenda along with grandstanding oversight of Congressional Republicans. FOX continues to fine tune their political venom of the former Secretary Clinton.

Pakistani intelligence unit was using the hospital for directing the Taliban.So, what!

The Doctor's Without Borders practices in that hospital and they DO NOT DISCRIMINATE in who they treat. If that means a Pakistani Intelligence Unit was in that hospital they are allowed to be.

Evidently, complicated dynamics are out of grasp at FOX.

DO NOT MAKE THIS HOSPITAL A TARGET because FOX hates President Obama.

The entire idea Pakistani intelligence would lead the Taliban is bizarre. And then to link it conducted same from the hospital that was part of an attack in Kunduz is even more bizarre.

Osama bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011. I have no doubt he worked with members of the ISI. Bin Laden was known to have affiliations with the Taliban. The story can take flight from there.

October 26, 2011Pakistan's security service provides weapons (click here) and training to Taliban insurgents fighting U.S. and British troops in Afghanistan, despite official denials, Taliban commanders say, in allegations that could worsen tensions between Pakistan and the United States.A number of middle-ranking Taliban commanders revealed the extent of Pakistani support in interviews for a BBC Two documentary series, "Secret Pakistan," the first part of which was being broadcast on Wednesday.A former head of Afghan intelligence also told the program that Afghanistan gave Pakistan's former president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, information in 2006 that Osama bin Laden was hiding in northern Pakistan close to where the former al Qaeda leader was eventually killed by U.S. special forces in May.Admiral
Mike Mullen, then the top U.S. military officer, accused Pakistani
intelligence last month of backing violence against U.S. targets
including the U.S. Embassy in Kabul....

The idea a Pakistan intelligence unit was using the hospital as a base of operations is nonsense. There were Americans within the Doctors Without Borders. The idea a hospital would be a legal target is more outrageous REGARDLESS of whom the patients were.

Jewish Voice
for Peace members are inspired by Jewish tradition to work together for
peace, social justice, equality, human rights, respect for
international law, and a U.S. foreign policy based on these ideals.

JVP opposes anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, and anti-Arab bigotry and oppression.
JVP seeks an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza
Strip, and East Jerusalem; security and self-determination for Israelis
and Palestinians; a just solution for Palestinian refugees based on
principles established in international law; an end to violence against
civilians; and peace and justice for all peoples of the Middle East.Current mission statement adopted in 2009.

We understand from a recent report in The New York Times
that you will be departing tomorrow on a journey to the State of
Israel. According to the article, your purpose is to speak at a
gathering of mayors in Jerusalem on the topic of “combating
anti-Semitism.” While combating anti-Semitism, along with all forms of
racism and discrimination, is a valid goal, we write to register our
concern that you, as Mayor of New York
City, are choosing to follow the ritual of New York politicians who
travel to Israel—and do so with political blinders on. That you are
being fully subsidized by an individual investor and entrepreneur who
resides in Brooklyn, Baruck Eliezer Gross, only underscores the
potential for one-sidedness in this trip. For us, as New York City
residents and voters engaged in critiquing Israeli policies and
supporting those who are charged with “anti-Semitism” for doing so, this
news raises some troubling issues.

We hope you recognize that your constituents include many Jews,
Muslims, Christians, atheists, and others who strongly oppose Israeli
policies of occupation, exclusion, apartheid, and relentless suppression
of both Palestinian citizens of Israel and those residing in the
Occupied Territory. Your travel to Israel under the circumstances
detailed in the news report validates the “With-us or Against-us”
ideological perspective of Israel partisans and marginalizes the
perspectives of those who suffer from Israeli government
policies—including Palestinians in exile in your own city....

Dear Mayor de Blasio:

We understand from a recent report in The New York Times
that you will be departing tomorrow on a journey to the State of
Israel. According to the article, your purpose is to speak at a
gathering of mayors in Jerusalem on the topic of “combating
anti-Semitism.” While combating anti-Semitism, along with all forms of
racism and discrimination, is a valid goal, we write to register our
concern that you, as Mayor of New York
City, are choosing to follow the ritual of New York politicians who
travel to Israel—and do so with political blinders on. That you are
being fully subsidized by an individual investor and entrepreneur who
resides in Brooklyn, Baruck Eliezer Gross, only underscores the
potential for one-sidedness in this trip. For us, as New York City
residents and voters engaged in critiquing Israeli policies and
supporting those who are charged with “anti-Semitism” for doing so, this
news raises some troubling issues.

We hope you recognize that your constituents include many Jews,
Muslims, Christians, atheists, and others who strongly oppose Israeli
policies of occupation, exclusion, apartheid, and relentless suppression
of both Palestinian citizens of Israel and those residing in the
Occupied Territory. Your travel to Israel under the circumstances
detailed in the news report validates the “With-us or Against-us”
ideological perspective of Israel partisans and marginalizes the
perspectives of those who suffer from Israeli government
policies—including Palestinians in exile in your own city.

- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2015/10/blasio-upcoming-israel#sthash.ZvzrzdxB.dpuf

Dear Mayor de Blasio:

We understand from a recent report in The New York Times
that you will be departing tomorrow on a journey to the State of
Israel. According to the article, your purpose is to speak at a
gathering of mayors in Jerusalem on the topic of “combating
anti-Semitism.” While combating anti-Semitism, along with all forms of
racism and discrimination, is a valid goal, we write to register our
concern that you, as Mayor of New York
City, are choosing to follow the ritual of New York politicians who
travel to Israel—and do so with political blinders on. That you are
being fully subsidized by an individual investor and entrepreneur who
resides in Brooklyn, Baruck Eliezer Gross, only underscores the
potential for one-sidedness in this trip. For us, as New York City
residents and voters engaged in critiquing Israeli policies and
supporting those who are charged with “anti-Semitism” for doing so, this
news raises some troubling issues.

We hope you recognize that your constituents include many Jews,
Muslims, Christians, atheists, and others who strongly oppose Israeli
policies of occupation, exclusion, apartheid, and relentless suppression
of both Palestinian citizens of Israel and those residing in the
Occupied Territory. Your travel to Israel under the circumstances
detailed in the news report validates the “With-us or Against-us”
ideological perspective of Israel partisans and marginalizes the
perspectives of those who suffer from Israeli government
policies—including Palestinians in exile in your own city.

- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2015/10/blasio-upcoming-israel#sthash.ZvzrzdxB.dpuf

FILE - Myanmar President Thein Sein, center,
meets leaders of armed ethnic groups during a meeting for the Nationwide
Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) between representatives of the Myanmar
government and leaders of armed ethnic groups in Naypyidaw, Myanmar,
Sept. 9, 2015.

October 15, 2015By Steve Herman

Bangkok - Myanmar (click here) on Thursday signed a
cease-fire agreement with eight armed groups, but other significant
rebels fighting the government refused to sign the pact.“The National Cease-fire Agreement is a historic gift from us to
generations of the future,” declared President Thein Sein at the signing
ceremony in the capital, Naypyidaw.“Tens of thousands of troops from both sides have lost their lives in
the conflicts,” the president noted. “Hundreds of thousands of people
living in conflict areas have suffered severely due to the fighting.”Acknowledging that the ethnic Kachin and Wa – with tens of thousands
of soldiers – are still determined to fight, Thein Sein pledged to “try
harder to gain agreement with other groups.”...

I would think those that signed a ceasefire would have an easier time in obtaining food and water at the very least. It is time for a permanent peace. The children have to be put first to education and a future without war.

...Myanmar’s ethnic conflict (click here) has existed since before independence in January 1948.
The ethnic minorities of the country have since felt marginalised,
excluded from the mainstream and being given differential treatment as
opposed to the favoured Burman people. After the assassination of Gen
Aung San (Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s father), who is called the ‘Father of
the Union of Burma’ in July 1947, the ethnic minorities were left out in
the cold by subsequent governments. Eventually, an armed struggle
ensued between the Myanmar junta’s Tatmadaw (Main Army) and the ethnic
armies (local militias), which continues even today. Since the 1962
military coup and subsequent takeover by Gen Ne Win, the situation
deteriorated further as the ethnic minorities were discriminated against
even more with Ne Win’s policy of Burmanisation. The ethnic minorities
were further excluded from political decision-making and brutally
repressed by the ruling junta which led to a simmering anger within
them....

If President Thein Sein would offer better living conditions and education of the children to the militant groups there was be sincere reasons to end the civil war.

The Taliban issued a statement yesterday
proclaiming Afghanistan’s two leading
privately-owned TV stations to be “military targets” while Islamic State
detonated a homemade bomb outside two radio stations in Jalalabad, the
capital of the eastern province of Nangarhar, on 10 October.

In yesterday’s communiqué from the “Military Commission
of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” the Taliban said: “From now on
we regard Tolo TV and 1TV as military targets and not as
news media (...) There will be no immunity from our attacks, either for
the personnel (presenter, reporters or crews) or for the buildings
themselves.”

The statement said the decision was prompted by the TV
stations’ coverage of the three-day Taliban occupation of the northern
city of Kunduz.
Like other media, Tolo TV and 1TV reported acts of rape
and looting by Taliban fighters during the occupation – reports
confirmed by the United Nations, international NGOs and other sources.
At the same time, the Taliban destroyed 12 media outlets and forced more
than 20 journalists to flee the city.

“We again caution all parties to the conflict, both
the Afghan state and non-stateactors, and we remind them of their
obligation to protect journalists,” said Reza Moini, the head of the Reporters Without Borders Afghanistan desk.

“Attacks
against civilian targets, including media outlets and journalists,
constitute war crimes. “From now on we will demand an explanation from
the Taliban delegations abroad, including the Taliban office in Doha,
for every Taliban attack on journalists and media outlets. The countries
hosting or having relations with these delegations must firmly condemn
this statement and use all possible means to prevent criminal acts by
the Taliban against journalists and media outlets. Or else they will
also be held responsible.”...

Indeed, Israel has a great deal to worry about Palestinian youth. The technological advances from rock throwing to rock sling shots can be a a huge issue.October 15, 2015Palestinian protesters (click here) use slingshots to hurl stones towards Israeli security forces during clashes on Oct. 14, 2015 in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Israel began setting up checkpoints in Palestinian areas of east Jerusalem as it struggled to stop a wave of attacks that have raised fears of a full-scale uprising.

This is a check point at an Israeli airport. The USA should consider advocating for similar check points into the holy sites. It is the times we live in.

Where the Hari Rud river (click here) bends north to form a natural border between Iran and Afghanistan,
a patch of thick forest allows Iranian border police to remain unseen
as they observe the activities of the villagers on the other side.

Residents of Kohsan district in Afghanistan’s Herat province say that
when they try to collect precious potable water on the barren eastern
bank, the Iranian guards open fire. While the provincial government in
Herat denied these allegations to Tehran Bureau, Kohsan
authorities said that at least ten villagers have been shot dead at
this spot on the Hari Rud, which lies at the centre of a simmering
conflict over water rights. Repeated efforts to reach Iranian officials
in Kabul, Tehran and New York were unsuccessful.

Flowing westwards into Iran
before turning north and disappearing in Turkmenistan’s Karakum desert,
the Hari Rud is prone to severe seasonal droughts with dire
consequences for both Afghans and Iranians. The last time the 1,000-km
river completely dried up, in 2000, the second-largest Iranian city of
Mashhad suffered severe water shortages and agricultural sector in
Iran’s Razavi Khorasan province reported losses of 129bn rials ($4.3m)....

Now everyone knows where the stolen arms and the money from the bank went. Do not ignore the prison break to set the inmates free. They went from prison to the battlefield.The continued occupation of Afghanistan is grossly unnecessary. It is the USA military with it's own agenda. Obviously, the American agenda does not align with domestic forces, be they militia or otherwise (green on blue attacks).

If there are FIGHTING seasons what is the USA doing in Afghanistan 24/7?

LONDON
— A bloody clash between the Afghan Taliban and followers of the
so-called Islamic State late last month in western Afghanistan has
exposed critical shifts in alliances in a war the United States is still trying to fight.
Most important, there appear to be consultations, at least, between the
Taliban and Iran about how to meet the growing threat posed by the
extremists of ISIS, as the self-proclaimed Islamic State is widely
known.An Afghan Taliban commander and former provincial governor in the
days when one-eyed Mullah Omar ruled Afghanistan tells The Daily Beast
that the battle on May 24 in the Khaki Safe area of Farah province near
the Iranian border left at least 22 people dead, including 13 associated
with ISIS and nine Taliban. “This was the biggest fight between the
Afghan Taliban and ISIS followers so far,” said the former governor, who
is still deeply involved with Taliban military operations and asked
that his name not be used....

I don't follow Hollywood gossip. But this is worth noting. His ex-wife is an exceptionally compassionate person to come to his bedside.

He obviously was out of control.

Crystal, Nevada (CNN) Former NBA star (click here) Lamar Odom had been using cocaine on Saturday, employees at
the Nevada brothel where he was found unresponsive four days later told
911 dispatchers, Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wehrly told reporters
Wednesday.

Investigators have
obtained a blood sample from Odom, which will be submitted for testing
to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police laboratory.

"At this point, the case is ongoing," Wehrly said.

On a 911 call played at a news conference, a woman says she also saw Odom take 10 herbal supplement tablets over three days...

If she is talking to him to attempt to wake him from his coma and there is no responses soon, it is an exceptionally serious condition.

Lawyers for Dennis Hastert (click here) said Thursday that the former U.S. House
speaker plans to plead guilty to an indictment that alleges he agreed to
make $3.5 million in hush-money payments to cover up wrongdoing from
years ago.Both sides appeared at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin. Durkin set Oct. 28 for Hastert to enter the guilty plea. A written
plea agreement has been worked out and will be handed over to the judge
on Monday, attorneys said in court Thursday.The plea negotiations
were revealed in a hearing late last month when John Gallo, one of
Hastert's attorneys, said the defense had been discussing with federal
prosecutors a possible resolution to the case short of a trial — a
signal to a possible guilty plea. At the time, Gallo called the talks
"productive."Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Block confirmed for the
judge that talks on a plea deal were ongoing and asked that the two
sides be given additional time for the discussions....

Troops out now.What makes the USA Military think more time for training and support to Afghan's military is going to change anything? Nothing has changed yet. And don't compare this to South Korea it is not at all the same. Why doesn't the USA military admit this is about Iran? There was a very large USA drone that crashed in Iran. I would think it is completely obvious by now.October 15, 2015By Greg Jaffe and Missy RyanPresident Obama (click here) is expected to announce a plan Thursday to keep 5,500
U.S. troops in Afghanistan into 2017, ending his ambitions to bring
home most American forces from that war-torn country before he leaves
office.The president’s decision came after an “extensive
months-long review” that included regular discussions with Afghanistan’s
leaders, his national security team and U.S. commanders in the field, a
senior administration official said.Obama will also slow the
pace of the reduction of American forces and plans to maintain the
current U.S. force of 9,800 through “most of 2016,” said the official,
who spoke anonymously to preview the president’s announcement....The Afghans do not want the USA in their land. There have been green on blue attacks that even killed a two star general. The Afghan military did just fine in it's most recent battle against the Taliban, besides the bank robbery. Afghanistan doesn't need more war, it needs a rehab program for wayward Taliban. The Taliban needs to disperse, go back to their families and resume their poppy farming.

RT is reporting more Snowden documents are posting. The posts are about the USA drone program.

October 14, 2015

Last year, Glenn Greenwald, (click here) one of the journalists to whom former NSA
contractor Edward Snowden leaked classified NSA documents, co-wrote a
story about the NSA and FBI's surveillance of five high-profile Muslim
Americans.

The lengthy report,
based on classified documents from the Snowden trove, contained a
particularly inflammatory nugget of information: The FBI and NSA used
"Mohammed Raghead" as a placeholder for the name of a surveillance
target in a government template advising intelligence community
personnel how to write surveillance requests. The slur was seized upon
by dozens of news outlets. It also prompted the White House to call upon the director of National Intelligence to launch a "diversity and tolerance" review....

Scientists run into bears often in the wild. Black Bears especially run into people more than a Kodiak or Grizzly.Black Bears will observe people and mimic their behavior. A short story. I was working along East Lake Ontario. I was one of four scientists working in that region. There were Black Bears in the region. The other set of scientists drove to a distant area to conduct surveys of wildlife. They were there one day and conducted work without any interruption. The next day they were riding together in their truck when at the top of the hill there was someone? some thing? standing in the middle of the road. Dirt road. It was standing there like a man would stand. Upright. As the two men got closer to the top of the hill they realized it was Black Bear. They stopped the truck and decided a different road would be better. What occurred was bonding. The Black Bear observed them the day before without their notice. The next day the Black Bear went to the road where the truck was known to travel and stood upright to greet them.Needless to say the company of the Black Bear was not welcome. Seeing a Black Bear enter a closed door to a high school or mall is not surprising. They observe people and learn. They can do many things. I was visiting a friend and he told me a very amusing story.He was working in a wildness area and stopped his work for the day and set up a tent. He went to sleep. The next day he woke and opened the tent to exit it and there was a Black Bear sleeping next to the tent. When my friend disturbed the sleep of the Black Bear there was a startle response by both of them and the Black Bear ran off into the forest. We don't know what the Black Bear thought he was sleeping next to, but, we are fairly sure it might have been a breeding issue.

They scared each other, so he/she ran away. There is the idea sleeping next to an unknown intruder would insure the Black Bear had control.

The USA isn't suppose to be in Syria. The USA is there to support the Arab Coalition and the Iraq military. There is no legislation regarding the USA in Syria.

There are jet fighters involved with Syria coming from the Arab Coalition. Russia needs to come to an agreement with the Arab Coalition in regard to their efforts to secure their countries and end the threat of Daesh.

Jordan lost a pilot in this struggle. It is not just the USA. The fact the jets of the Arab Coalition are coming into proximity of Russian jets is because Russia has not set up a relationship with the Arab Coalition.

And Russia should not be practicing brinkmanship. If Russia had set up a relationship with the Arab Coalition then identifying jets would not be necessary. The real problem here are leaks. The Arab Coalition have their strategy. What guarantees can Russia provide that any information shared won't be leaked to a very computer saavy Daesh?

October 14, 2015By lya Arkhipov and Stepan Kravchenko

Russia (click here) said its warplane flying bombing raids in Syria came close to a
U.S jet in the area, highlighting the risks of its military campaign as
the former Cold War foes remain at odds over how to coordinate their
operations in the Middle Eastern country.A Russian Su-30 fighter
jet flew within about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) to 3 kilometers of a U.S.
warplane on Oct. 10 during a mission in Aleppo Province, according to a
statement by the Defense Ministry in Moscow on Wednesday. The intention
was to identify the plane and “not scare anyone,” with Russian and U.S.
officials planning to discuss the incident, it said in the statement.While
Russia’s ready to talk about its campaign with “maps in hand,” the U.S.
only wants to hold technical discussions to prevent clashes between the
nations’ air forces conducting bombing operations over Syria, Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov told lawmakers in Moscow on Wednesday. The
Defense Ministry said it plans to discuss the close call between the
warplanes by video link with the Pentagon.

I wish people would stop calling Social Security a socialist program.I and the rest of the Americans PAID into Social Security as an Old Age Fund,Social Security and Medicaid in all it's parts is NOT socialism!

Isn't that right FOX!

Senator
and candidate Sanders is correct, the programs need to be expanded
because the people with small payouts from Social Security paid into it
with confidence their monies would be good enough. The people with small
payouts aren't receiving INTEREST deposited into their accounts for the
years the their money was in SSI.

One
of the reasons there is a cost of living increase to match that of the
country's cost of living is because the monies paid to into the SSI fund
by Americans never received interest. So, to compensate the payout from
SSI Americans are given cost of living.There are many reasons the small payouts need to be adjusted to meet sincere cost of living.AND.Then
there was 2008 and seniors on fixed income lost their other retirement
investments, INCLUDING, their homes in some instances. Bernie Sanders is correct and the SSI cap has to be removed.

Senator Ron Johnson (the overseer of all overseers) was just on CNN trying to turn Hillary Clinton into Edward Snowden. He said he doesn't know all the details about the server since the FBI has it, but, how many of our people were put in harms way because of this server?

He is not concentrating himself at all on Benghazi.

Mr. Johnson is in the Senate and obviously is invested in an email scandal. So, Mr. Johnson can create his own committee about email security in the USA and I think it is a heck of an idea since CHINA has been hacking into every electronic gate of the USA government that is on the net.

How many emails have been hacked and what information was compromised across the entire landscape of the USA government? How many government employees have and do use private emails?

AND.

The question I have is if there is such heavy concern over any hacked information where is Homeland Security AND THE NSA in regard to such problems?

This is ridiculous, Mr. Johnson and the US House Committee is NOT concerned about the USA security, they are running a political game on a great woman that is willing and has been willing to dedicate her life to this country and the greatness of the USA.